Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli
Many of us are hunkered down in winter weather! And what better time for comfort food like Macaroni & Cheese? Add some broccoli and it’s the full meal deal. Healthy. Delicious. And on the table in under 1 hour. Love it.
My oldest boy, who is somewhat of a picky eater, constantly asks for this. Even last night, as I set dinner down on to the table, he took one look at it and asked me when I was going to make ‘that’ macaroni & cheese again… Hmmmm, I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not…. 😉
Anyway, a quick dinner idea for your hectic days!
Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 – 370 mL can evaporated milk
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (grated (old cheddar has great flavour))
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 2 cups broccoli (chopped into bite size pieces)
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil the pasta according to package directions.
- When it is cooked, drain the water. Set aside.
- In a pot of boiling water, cook the broccoli until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
- In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the flour, and stir to make a paste.
- Then slowly pour in the milk, while whisking, and cook until the sauce is thickened.
- Add the mustard, paprika and salt. Whisk.
- Sprinkle in the cheese, and stir the mixture continuously until it is melted.
- Toss the pasta with the cheese sauce. Add the broccoli and stir in.
- If you wish, you can also sprinkle on some extra grated cheese on to the dish, and broil until the cheese is melted, bubbling and light brown. Just make sure to use an oven proof dish.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Chef Michael Smith
Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli Recipe Tips:
- For extra flavourful mac & cheese use old cheddar. Or if you prefer a more mild flavour you can use a medium cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese.
- If you don’t have evaporated milk, this recipe works well with using just all regular milk. (so roughly 3 1/2 cups milk)
- You can serve the macaroni in individual dishes with melted cheese on top.
- Just sprinkle on some extra grated cheese to each dish, and line the dishes up on a cookie sheet in the oven. Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbling and light brown.
I hope this dinner can make your life even just a teensiest bit easier. 😉
Have a delicious day!
That looks so yummy covered in melted cheese! We are spinach fans so I put chopped spinach in mine. Now I have a craving for Mac & Chese!
I love the idea of spinach. I’ll try that next time. Thanks!
We made this recipe of yours recently; delish!
Yummy comfort food!
Mac n Cheese is definitely in my list of top 5 favorite foods. And, I usually pair it with broccoli so I don’t feel so guilty eating eat. This is a perfect meal for me!
Made this tonight minus the mustard. Waiting for the hubs to get home so we can eat dinner. I think it’s going to be yummy! Thanks for sharing!
This looks great! I think I will make it tonight. Although I’m sure it won’t turn out as pretty!
Oh yum!
I have a weekend party I’d love for you to share this on:
http://westernwarmth.blogspot.com
Thanks!
Bobi
Hi there. The current Food on Friday is all about pasta and noodles! There is already a great collection of dishes but it would be great if you linked this in. This is the link . Have a good week.
This looks great! We would love for you to share this on our Kitchen Fun and Crafty link party! http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2012/11/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link_15.html
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I’m curious – have you tried with 2% evap. milk and low fat cheese? I’m wondering if it would be grainy or taste different?
Hi Cat! No I never have, but I would think the 2% evap milk would work just fine. Not sure about the low fat cheese – I think that’s more of a personal taste – low fat cheese might lack in some flavour. If you try it with these alterations let me know how it turns out!